the .40 is a all around great caliber, it will get the job done thats for sure and pennetrates very deep, I just did some testing of my .40, some Hornady rounds and was not very impressed with how they preformed in the expansion, they did how ever pennetrate very nicely, now my EDC G30SF, .45 Winchester Ranger T's and Federal HST's flowered into full blossom in the expansion dept...

Did you try the same Hornady load in .45? If not, is looks to me like a comparison of different factory loads, not of caliber.

July 10th, 2012, 05:21 PM

lyodbraun

yes Ive compared the two calibers, and just am not impressed with how the Hornady brand expands.... I know it (.40) would get the job done though ...

July 10th, 2012, 05:59 PM

ghost tracker

Let's remember what Col. Cooper said about the subject "Shoot the most powerful caliber that you can effectively control". Few can argue with LE statistics that confirm the .40 S&W lacks nothing in effective stopping power. Few can argue that the .40 S&W is a less effective caliber than the 9mm. More U.S. LEOs carry .40 S&W than ANY other caliber. Yeah, I own/shoot handguns that carry easier, shoot softer and pack more rounds. I also own handguns that are harder to conceal, pack more punch and with less round capacity. But it's ALWAYS that very series of individual compromises that establish our personal EDC/BUG choice. For me, the .40 S&W is the best compromise. Col. Cooper liked the .45 acp, but he also championed the eventually unsuccessful .41 ae in consideration of exactly the same compromises. BTW, is the .40 S&W really that hated? :confused:

July 10th, 2012, 07:03 PM

Hiram25

I love my .40, carry it everyday!

July 10th, 2012, 07:20 PM

Ram Rod

I've been down the same road some have already talked about here. 45ACP, then 9mm, used to keep a 357mag under the seat in vehicle on long trips. I carried a lot on my small farms back in the days. When CC finally made it's debut in my state, I gave serious thought as to what I might actually carry concealed. The big pistols like my previous 1911A1's (full size), and previous Ruger P89DC were not a problem in the winter time when I could easily carry in a shoulder holster or OWB under a jacket or coat. Farmer boy goes to town for the first time and gotta think about not scaring the city folk so-to-speak. So......I didn't have the internet back in those days, but I got plenty of gun mags like Guns and Ammo, ShotgunNews, and other periodicals other than my normal American Rifleman mag (which came every single month back then). What I had to decide was how and what, then why. So........it came down to bigger and smaller. Closer to 45ACP, and size of 9mm. Realize this was long before 357sig was even thought of. 40S&W was on the rise, and you could get one in the same size pistol as 9mm offered from Glock. Capacity didn't matter to me, and it still doesn't for the most part. So for the concealed carry start of my life, I cut my teeth on the baby Glock 27 and worked on becoming proficient with it. My first pistol bought specifically for CC. Over the years, I got hooked on the Glock pistol design plain and simple. My Glock history really isn't important here, but I've owned many models and carried all of them, and used some for competition as well and still do. I can't speak for anyone else and their experiences with the 40S&W caliber.......can't speak for anyone who hasn't tried a Glock in 40cal either. I've never had a reason to try 40cal in anything other than Glock. It's my perfect round for many reasons, and my perfect pistol. I used to have at least five Glocks at my disposal at any time in three different calibers. Older is wiser especially putting experience and economics along with. Now I'm down to two 40cals, one 9mm, and one 45ACP.
While not many available calibers today could be accused of not being able to break skin out of a pocket pistol........the 40S&W caliber alone is like getting the most horsepower out of less cubic inches for an engine. I kind of like auto racing and technology as well. Hence the best analogy I can think of that makes the 40S&W the best caliber to test and work at being adapt with. All of my opinions are based solely on my personal experiments and experiences. I've also looked at the math.....back in the day looking through the most informative magazines instead of online.
Why does the 40S&W round get a bad rap these days? Like a lot of other things that get a bad rap these days..........education. One cannot get an education online (although you can get a degree that states you're educated online). Real world still works best IMO. I carry my 40's 90% of the time unless I feel like impressing myself with my ability to diversify.

July 10th, 2012, 07:57 PM

bmcgilvray

"I carry my 40's 90% of the time unless I feel like impressing myself with my ability to diversify"

I like that saying. May have to adopt it.

Good to see some folks showing some love for the .40. There was a large thread here within the pat few months that addressed some rethinking from .40 back to 9mm with all attendant benefits to that change-over along with a couple more after that. There's been that poll running recently between the 9mm and the .40 that showed the 9mm around 70% and .40 around 30%. I was beginning to be surprised that it clawed its way to 30%.

July 10th, 2012, 08:15 PM

old guy 2

Well first off I have read on the internet that the .40 beats the Browning Hi Power pretty badly and they do not last long. My own experiance with three .40s shows a tendency to push the bullet back in the case do to loading and unloading the same cartridge causing a high pressure condition in an allready high pressure cartridge. I got tired of watching bullet then setting them aside then wacking them in the bullet puller then seating them to the right depth. Sold the .40s, stayed with my stogey old .45s.

John

July 10th, 2012, 08:59 PM

Bigpoppa48

No complaints about the 40S&W from me, I EDC an M&P40 everyday. I also have a Gen4 Glock22 and Sigma SWVE40.

July 10th, 2012, 09:30 PM

zacii

I roll with a G23 from time to time :yup:

One advantage to a .40 pistol is that you can usually supplement it with a 9mm barrel and/or .357 Sig.

I've read reports from Dr. Roberts showing the .40 to perform very well against intermediate barriers.

Sent from my Galaxy S2

July 10th, 2012, 09:57 PM

mprp

Hey now, I'm not going to beat up the 40. I actually like the snap, bang and whack it produces. (how's that for scientific) The S&W 4006 was my first auto and I really enjoy shooting it and feel that I shoot it well. And although it's not my EDC, I do carry it in the winter time in a shoulder holster from time to time. My wife likes shooting it too and she's pretty darn good with it.

July 10th, 2012, 10:30 PM

NCMedic8617

Haters gonna hate...

Sent from this... Using that...

July 10th, 2012, 10:42 PM

LibertyUSA

I carry a S&W M&P 40c. This is a rugged gun. I have shot over 1000 rounds from this gun, not one problem or miss fire. I like it much better than my 9 mm. Ammo could get a little pricey but I shoot alot and will start reloading.

July 10th, 2012, 11:12 PM

Ljutic

I had to move abroad for a couple of years, but made frequent and long trips back home. During that time, everything except the Gen2 G23-C went into storage. I shot that G23 exclusively for two years and it was my only CC and home protection option during that time. A real bond formed with the 40 S&W and that specific G23 and I eventually added a 22 and 27 to the family. You'll hear no 40 bashing from me.

July 10th, 2012, 11:32 PM

Bad Bob

I know I am gonna make some folks upset. It is because the .40 threatens the 9mm and the 45 ACP for top dog. If the 9mm and the 45 ACP did as well as the fanatical believe there would have been no need for the .40.:smile:

The .40 penetrates intermediate barriers better and carries more energy through said barriers. When the Border Patrol selected the .40 they also stipulated a special load a 155 JHP at 1250 FPS. The BP wanted a semi auto, but with the power of the 357 magnum. the 357 Sig was not an option at that time.